Chapter 1 - The Past Hurts
Year 16 – Day 364
A match lit up the final candle. She gazed around at the three candles that illuminated her abode.
The rain pattered against the roof. It’d been raining for the past few days. She sat up from the rough-hewn chair and surveyed her lonely abode. She had some buckets in place to catch the rain leaking through her damaged roof. There were few furnishings in the den aside from the table at which she sat. Her machete leaned awkwardly next to the doorway where she'd dropped it earlier in her haste to remove her rain cloak. It leaned dripping next to the large boulder. Not the prettiest entryway, but it kept the local wildlife outside.
In front of the machete lay her satchel, filled with scrolls she’d found in a small, well-hidden, abandoned hideout. Being a unicorn who could move things with magic had its advantages. Gazing to her left, she spotted her soaked sleeveless shirt and long pants hanging on a line to dry. They were as black as sin.
“I'm getting sloppy,” she said. Living alone and traveling to locations across the globe, she'd fallen into the habit of talking to herself.
Her horn glowed with a bluish aura that matched the color of her eyes as she levitated the machete. She placed it into its sheath, and onto one of the crowded shelves that lined her home. It rose to join all her other equipment that lay there: books and scrolls, potions, pouch belts, and knives of varying sizes and shapes.
Relaxing in her chair again, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall. With her hardened, tired look, her orange coat had grown decidedly shaggy. Her charcoal mane now fell in an unkempt, dripping tangle two-thirds of the way down her neck.
She blanched at the sight. “I'm starting to look sloppy, too.”
Proper grooming wasn't a huge priority in her current circumstances. Her only real attempt at it lately had been to keep her tail cut at half length, although that was mainly to keep it from getting tangled in the brush when she ventured out into the various wildernesses.
Tomorrow was her birthday. But nothing to celebrate. She’s been traveling for so long to her planted shelters across different lands as she discovered the world and lore around her. But every year on her birthday, she promised herself she’d come back to this particular hut. It’s become a sacred tradition of hers to do so.
She heard the rain beginning to drip faster into the buckets around her hut. She sighed.
“I just got here, now I have to fix the darn roof,” she said, annoyed.
The unicorn rose to her hooves, levitated the rain cloak over and slipped it on. Her horn alit, she rolled the boulder aside and stepped into the blinding rain.
Year 10 – Day 4
Mystic settled into her jacket on the cold slab. Glancing at her makeshift shelter of sheeted metal and timber, she let out a sad sigh.
“It’s better than nothing,” she said with a shiver as snow began to fall from the cloudy skies.
The day after she’d woken up, she made her way to the city only to find a tall impenetrable wall that kept anypony from entering it. She’d seen soldiers guarding the entrances, keeping her from finding a way in. She even tried circling around, but found out all of the areas east of the city were sealed off. Why would they do such a thing? Why let ponies suffer outside their borders?
For the past three days, she’s been wandering the neighborhood for any supplies to survive in this hostile environment. She hasn’t found much other than scraps and a pole to use as a weapon. In addition, her scrape slightly stung from the day she'd tripped, but has been getting better. She hoped, anyway.
Her stomach rumbled.
She looked at a couple of cans of food she’d taken. Not much to eat.
As she stared at them, her thoughts began to wander.
With no memory of how she’d gotten here, how does she know how to survive and avoid danger?
Did the universe program her this way? Did she travel through time with no memory of what happened? Does she have… family or friends? Do they… miss her?
Mystic shivered not from the cold, but at how unnerving the thoughts were. She blinked her tears away.
She glanced to her right and spotted several tools she’d stolen from some family. She hated stealing, but she’s been pushed to the brink.
She further nestled into the jacket. Once in a while, she had been thinking about her reaction and outburst to that stallion. Mystic never thought she’d have it in her to do that or take it from him when he would freeze. No point in trying to go back to him now, because she’d seen him looking around the neighborhood. Obviously out for her.
In addition, she has seen more gangs rummaging through the neighborhood and soldiers chasing them.
Soldiers were her first idea to get into the city. She tried explaining her situation to them, not being wise about her word choice. They thought she was lying and called her a rogue telling her to take a hike and go back to her con family.
Mystic sniffled. Family? What family? She’s probably an orphan.
Despite her tears, the soldiers weren't convinced. In addition, they commented on how terrible she looked and placed her inside a building to keep her warm. Their comments were rude and saddened her but at least they didn’t leave her in the cold.
The unicorn gazed out to the blackening neighborhood.
“Is there anypony out there who knows who I am?” she asked herself.
She must find out, but how could she do that? Everypony she’s seen was either scared, cruel, or a part of some gang.
She’d heard more violent crimes being committed in this place like mutilation and kidnapping--
And something about the neighborhood needing “Twenty-four-hour and seven-day monitoring.”
Mystic settled in for another hard night and felt the bags under her eyes.
“Found you!” a voice roared.
Mystic screamed and before she knew it large hooves punched through her pathetic shelter and sent her falling onto the ground.
“You thought you could get away with taking my jacket?!” a familiar voice shouted.
Heart hammering, Mystic turned over onto her flank and saw the brown stallion she had stolen from.
Behind him stood three gnarly, disgusting-looking stallions. All had knives in their hooves. The lead stallion held up his hoof, stomped up to Mystic and snatched his jacket right off her.
“No! Please!” Mystic pleaded “I’ll freeze out here!”
“And you didn’t think I’d do the same, you little thief?!” the stallion roared.
A blunt impact struck Mystic in the cheek, knocking her to the ground. She landed with a thud and pain shot up her back.
“You little brats should know better than to take from me!” he continued as Mystic felt her pulsing cheek “I’ve been on the hunt for you for days!”
Mystic coughed. “I noticed!”
Another blunt impact to her cheek.
“You little cretin!”
“What shall we do with her?” a second stallion asked.
“Shall we have some fun with her?” a third suggested.
Mystic froze. Fun? What kind of fun?
“I’m making the choice here!” the lead stallion stated. He chuckled. “Although, fun does sound quite interesting.”
“Mister...” Mystic croaked. She sat up and looked at him as her eyes welled up. “I...I’m so sorry about stealing your jacket...”
“Not as sorry as you’ll soon be!”
“Really! I am!” Mystic pleaded. “Look, I’ve been alone for so long, I didn’t know how else I was going to survive!”
Word your way right, Mystic. Don’t let them know the entire story, she thought.
“And I know this place isn’t the friendliest, but I don’t know anypony out here!”
“That’s your first flaw!” said the lead stallion. “You can’t be alone out here!”
“I know! But I’m freezing, hungry, and without family or friends!”
Keep going, Mystic.
“And I feel ashamed for stealing your jacket and causing you to chase after me, but if I went back, I was scared that something like this might happen!”
“You got that right!”
“But can you please possibly find it in your heart to help a lost, ten-year-old filly and bring her to a safer place?” Mystic pleaded, getting down on her hooves in submission. “I don’t want to cause any more trouble than I’ve already had...” She sniffed and felt tears rolling down her cheeks. “I-I’m really sorry, mister. It’s an awful neighborhood… please, help me...” She shielded her eyes and began to weep.
Nopony responded to her apology and her pleas. A pit of dread and anxiety formed in her stomach, nauseating her.
“Wow, how touching,” came a voice.
“Seems as if she does need help,” said the second.
Mystic felt a hoof brush her mane. Looking up, she saw the stallion looking down at her with a softer look. Had she convinced him?
“I’ve had a lot of victims in my run. But I’ve never had one beg us for help,” he said.
Wait. Victims?
“And there’s something else you should know,” he continued.
He glared hard at her.
“You’re a talentless pony without a cutie mark and a real amateur at robbing and surviving on your own!” he stated.
A cold piece of metal was suddenly at her cheek. Mystic froze and eyes widened with terror.
“Take her stuff!” he said to his minions. “And let’s take her back to the hideout!” He chuckled sinisterly and stared right into her terrified eyes. “We’re going to have so much fun with her however we please.”
“And a filly no less,” one of the stallions chuckled.
Mystic gasped in horror.
Her instinct from where she’d taken from this monster kicked in again.
She moved aside, grabbed his forelegs and kicked him to the ground.
“Hey!” the second cried.
Mystic gawked at her actions. Where had that come from?
“Don’t just stand there!” the leader ordered. “Get her!”
Mystic let out a gasp and the three lunged at her. She rolled to the side, grabbed a few of her tools and fired a beam of magic at them. She didn't bother seeing if it hit anypony as bolted off. She couldn’t believe her action. First, she steals and now fights?!
Some kind of fire began burning inside her. She inwardly wished she could take them on as a stronger pony. The thought surprised her, yet it seemed ideal for the moment.
“Don’t let her escape!” the leader shouted. He was right behind her.
Three more pairs of hooves joined him. Mystic knew she’s going to be caught if--
The leader tackled her to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of her. She tried to get out of his grip but the stallion was too strong.
“You little fool!” he growled. “Now we’re going to give you a real reason to scream!”
Several blunt impacts began kicking her and smacking her. She screamed and tried to escape, but the barrage of punches kept coming.
Suddenly, she felt her horn humming.
“What in the?!” somepony cried.
Mystic opened her eyes and on instinct let the magic fly out. It impacted the leader in the face, knocked him off her and his minions backed off.
Despite her aching body and face Mystic stood up and took off not daring to look back. She heard them clamoring to get her once again.
Sometime later after running through the labyrinth of the poverty neighborhood, Mystic had managed to escape her pursuers. She walked through the ghost quiet streets. Aching, limbs pinching, jacketless and out of supplies! How could they do that to a filly?!
Mystic caught a glimpse of her reflection in a window. She paused and saw her face was bruised. Her mane unkempt. She looked like any other poor pony in this neighborhood.
A word the stallion said came to her mind.
Talentless.
Suddenly, she realized what he probably meant. She’s seen marks on ponies’ flanks. All of them were different. She turned to see her flank in the reflection.
It was blank.
Her eyes slightly widened. A blank flank? Is this what he meant?
Her stomach rumbled again.
Darn it.
Her lips trembled. It didn’t matter if it was from her situation or her pain.
Mystic sniffed and began weeping again.
“Mom, Dad...” she whimpered, “Are you even out there?” She looked up at the ever-cloudy sky as the snow fell harder. “Am I really talentless?”
She sank down onto the ground as her heart sank even further. If her situation could sink any lower, it would be down to the center of the earth. She sat down. Lost. Confused. Abandoned. Talentless.
Was this struggle even worth it? Why continue if she was talentless? It seemed pointless. She was a mistake. She shouldn’t be here!
The unicorn looked at her scraped foreleg. How could she continue? Maybe she could give up and never bother to enter anypony’s life.
“Yeah… sounds preferable...” she said.
The unicorn laid next to the sidewalk. Pointless. Nopony out there for her.
...
So pointless...
...
...
No!
Mystic stood up and felt determination rise in her chest. She will find the answers! She will find ponies who will help her find out how and when she’d gotten here!
“I will not be discouraged so easily!” she stated. “I won’t give up! I will find a way!”
Taking all of what she’s been through and hoping for a better place. There was only one place she could go that seemed better.
The city.
But how could she get in? There had to be a way in through which she could slip without anypony noticing.
Right?
With a rumble from her stomach, she was convinced that if she were going to survive… then she better continue to push. She would not slowly rot like these low lives!
...
Wow.
What a thought.
With newfound determination, Mystic trotted onwards.
Sometime later she arrived at a gate guarded by two soldiers. The surrounding wall looked as impenetrable as ever.
The unicorn took in her surroundings. No roofs could reach the top and it looked as if there were crossbows on top of the wall.
“Hmmm,” she said. “Maybe I should get closer.”
She ducked into the shadows, stealthily made her way over and reached a box that was about two dozen feet from the soldiers. They looked hardened and unwavering. The unicorn noticed a key on the soldier on the right. The door had a keyhole.
“Great.”
Hmm, what to do. What to do. Aha! She needs a distraction! Yeah! That could work but if they both leave... hmm she needs to make sure that they don’t see her. She can keep them from seeing what she looks like, grab the key, and slip in!
With her plan in mind, she looked around to see if there was anything for her to throw. She spotted a stone.
She levitated it up with her magic and saw several trash cans by an alley. Perfect. The unicorn chucked the stone as hard as she could.t.
CRAAASSH!
The trash cans tumbled into the alleyway. She looked at the soldiers. They were looking in the direction she’d thrown.
“Check it out!” the soldier on the right ordered.
“Cover me!” the second said.
The burly ponies held out their spears and began cautiously walking over to the trash cans. Mystic picked up some more rocks.
As the soldiers checked out the trash cans, Mystic stealthily made her way over. She stayed as quiet as she could.
“I don’t see anypony!” the second cried.
“Keep looking!” the first ordered.
Mystic got her rocks ready as she stopped about ten feet away from them. She was a bit further from the gate.
“Are you sure it wasn’t just kids?” the first speculated.
“I don’t know, but we have protocols and--”
CLANG! CLANG!
Two direct hits to their helmets!
Mystic leaped into action. She levitated the key away from the first soldier and bolted to the door.
A gutsy move. She shook with fear as her heart thudded.
Not daring to look back, she placed the key into the gate and turned it. She pulled it open ever so slightly.
When she got behind the gate, she caught a glimpse of the soldiers just getting up.
With a spurt of adrenaline she shut the gate before they could see her.
Mystic panted, feeling as if she’d run a marathon.
“Whew, that was a big victory,” she said.
Suddenly, she heard the gate rattling behind her. Shoot!
Mystic bolted off and ran a short distance before ducking into a shadowy alleyway. She turned and observed the soldiers opening the gate before they ran right past her, oblivious to her entry.
The unicorn let out a huge sigh of relief. She was in. She was in the city!
But there was no time to celebrate. She needed to get warm.
Mystic searched the dark streets. They were quiet, yet felt and looked livelier. Paved streets surrounded by nicer looking buildings. Shops, houses, apartments, and businesses surrounded Mystic as she explored. Yeah, this feels a lot safer than that neighborhood.
Once in a while, she did see soldiers patrolling and hid from them. She would ask for help, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Maybe there will be some citizens that would help her.
She decided to head closer to the middle of the city.
After searching for a little bit, she found some scarves on a discount sale. She trotted over, grabbed one and wrapped it around her neck.
“Mmmm!” She hugged herself, enjoying the scarf’s warmth. “Thank goodness.”
She heard voices. Perking up, she quickly took off and got a safe distance away. As she went on, more ponies talking and carriages being pulled reached her eardrums.
“Yah! Yah! Move!” a voice commanded.
Mystic turned and saw some ponies pulling a carriage. But they didn’t look like regular pullers. They appeared to be miserable. Behind them were two other ponies with large whips in their hooves. Mystic hid around a corner and peeked out to see what was going on.
The carriage has moved past her. She lightly gasped when she saw ponies chained up in the back. All of them looked sad.
“Get these to the General!” a harsh voice commanded. “You know how he is about deliveries being late!”
The ponies ahead let out affirming groans.
CRACK!
Neighing rose from the ponies ahead.
“No more lollygagging! Get moving or no meals for a week!”
The carriage continued down the street until Mystic couldn’t see it anymore.
“My gosh...” she whispered, completely horrified.
The filly slipped into the shadows.
Though the city was in a better state than the neighborhood with paved roads, some street lights, and benches, it still felt as if it had a hostile atmosphere. The smell of freshly cooked bread hit Mystic’s nostrils. She managed to swipe a couple of them before she was noticed and later found a fruit stand and took some from there, too. Her stomach beginning to feel a little satisfied.
Soon, she arrived at what she presumed was the center of the city with citizens heading home or taking their loved ones out for the night. The skyscrapers reached into the low hanging clouds and six streets met in a circle around a fountain of a proud, strong unicorn. She discovered that it’s the city’s founder and it’s in front of city hall. However, she couldn’t stay long because of eyes gazing in her direction and ponies whispering behind her back.
It was turning out to be a bust. Nopony bothered to even look at or even speak to her. Typical. She’s set up a street fire to keep warm. Nestling into her scarf, she sat her freezing body next to it and placed her hooves directly over it.
“It’s not the best, but I hope it’ll do the job,” she said aloud.
The warmth of the fire began to seep into her coat, sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine. Ah, fire. It felt as if she’s struck gold. She stretched and cracked her neck a bit until she heard something shuffle nearby. Perking up, the filly gazed to her left to where it’d come from.
“Psst,” said a voice.
Mystic’s eyes widened as her heart skipped a beat.
“Yeah, over here,” it said again.
“...W-W-Who’s there?” Mystic hesitantly answered as she stood up.
“Over here, by the barrels.”
There were some barrels next to a brick wall. Besides them stood a grey pegasus with a brown mane and matching eyes.
“Come on over, little one,” he said, “I want to talk with you.”
Mystic took a step back.
“No no no, don’t run away,” the pegasus pleaded. “My name is Chen. What’s your name?”
Mystic took another step back. “M-Mystic...”
“Ah, Mystic,” Chen smiled, “That’s a pretty name.”
“T-Thanks?” It was a stupid name she just happened to remember.
“Look, I can’t imagine what you’ve seen out there. Why not come with me to get you fed and warm?”
What? The idea sounded good, but how could she trust him? He was probably just tricking her.
“I don’t know...”
“I won’t bite. It’s awful cold. A filly like you shouldn’t be out there.”
“I’ve been through too much. I don’t know who to trust,” Mystic firmly answered, though her tone wavered slightly.
“Oh, you poor thing.” Chen frowned. “I know it’s rough in places.”
“You have no idea...”
“Please, little one,” Chen stepped out, “I mean no harm.”
Mystic took another step back. “I don’t care who you are, but I don’t want to get into any more trouble than what I have been in...”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I had to get past the wall...” Mystic mumbled.
“The wall?” Chen lightly gasped.
“Yeah,” she said with a snort. She crossed her hooves. “I had no choice...”
Chen paused for a few seconds.
“You clearly need help,” he said.
What? He didn’t question it?
“I saw you walk by not too long ago and duck into this shelter,” he went on. “My house isn’t too far away.” He smiled sympathetically. “I’ve got plenty of room.”
Mystic’s stomach rumbled again.
“I can’t rely on anypony,” she said sadly.
“But if you can’t survive on your own, how can you be certain you cannot rely on others to help you?” Chen reasoned.
Mystic furrowed her brows. Despite her skepticism, he did have a point. Maybe there are decent ponies here after all?
“Come on, there’s a warm place for you, and we can serve you some food.”
Her stomach rumbled for the third time. Did they have a bed? A place to keep warm? But--
“How can I know you’re not going to do something to me?” she asked skeptically.
“Because I’ve seen guilty ponies, and I’ve seen horrid things done. You’re not one of the guilty ones.” He gently stepped forward. “Come on, please, just try and rely on me to get you to safety.”
“I...”
“I promise on all things holy that I won’t double-cross you.”
Despite her hesitance, her stomach growled again. She gave up to her natural instincts and followed the pegasus.
Soon, they arrived at a modest-looking house that needed repair. Chen gently opened the door, and Mystic stepped in. She was ready to flee in case something went wrong.
The interior of the house was just an average-looking home, but it definitely looked better than the awful houses in that neighborhood.
Mystic was led through the living room and into the kitchen where she spotted a fruit basket. Her eyes lit up, and her stomach rumbled again.
“Hey, everypony!” said the pegasus. “We’ve got a little guest!”
Mystic heard two ponies scurrying in the back of the house. An orange pegasus and a red pegasus both came out. Their eyes widened.
“You brought a unicorn here?” the orange mare admonished.
Chen growled at her and crossed his hoof in front of his neck. The mare shut up, and the second mare nodded.
“My apologies,” said the first mare, “I’m just not used to unicorns in our house.” Then she quickly added, “Not that there’s anything wrong with them!”
“They just don’t come by often,” the second mare insisted.
“Right,” the first nodded, “By the way, I’m Jinjing and this is Mei.” Jinjing extended her hoof. “And you are?”
“Mystic,” the filly replied, taking her hoof. She began to feel a little better. These pegasi looked decent and not hard-hoofed like earth ponies or stuck-up like unicorns.
“The poor thing was stranded and lost out in the streets,” Chen frowned. “She looks like she’s been through Tartarus.”
“Oh, she has.” Mei followed suit, carefully touching Mystic’s face.
The bruises pulsed under the touch, causing Mystic to step back. “Ouch.” Mei looked at her apologetically.
“Let’s get her cleaned up,” added Jinjing.
A few minutes passed and Mystic was feeling a little better, plus they’ve given her a fresh bandage over her scraped leg.
“That necklace is pretty,” said Jinjing, “Where did you get it?”
Mystic almost answered casually but she stopped herself.
Some other time they will know about me. Some time, she thought.
“Somepony very close gave it to me,” she said as she gently pawed at the golden necklace. “A friend of mine..."
“Really?”
“Yeah. They’re somewhere in the city,” it was a lie and it hurt her, “I’ve gotten lost...”
“Any family?”
“Probably. I have a guardian but... I’m not really looked after much...”
“Oh, my...” Jinjing frowned. “Did you run off from him?”
“Yes!” Mystic answered quickly, “I did because he’s awful!” Suddenly, her stomach rumbled loudly, causing her to blush.
“Shall we serve you something to eat?” Mei asked from down the hall.
With another rumble from her stomach, Mystic nodded vigorously.
As Jinjing prepared a meal, Mystic found out that the three pegasi are siblings and have been living together for years.
Soon she was presented with a warm bowl of noodle soup and a fruit basket. She chowed down on the food like a wolf, enjoying every minute of it. Hot chocolate and cookies followed.
A little later she was laying on the couch completely satisfied and not starving anymore. What was she skeptical about again? Eh, it doesn’t matter anymore. The three pegasi have been talking about something for some reason concerning food and finances.
“--I just hope we can work it out,” said Mei as she came over and sat down in a chair.
“Trust me, this’ll send a message and give us what we need,” replied Chen.
“A message about what?” Mystic asked curiously.
The two siblings froze.
“Oh!” Mei cried. “Sorry, grown-ups talking!”
“Yeah, we’re going to send a message!” Chen said awkwardly.
“To the post office!” came Jinjing’s voice.
“Yeah, what she said!” Chen quickly added.
“Not helping, Chen,” Jinjing muttered under her breath.
Mystic curiously tilted her head at them. Jinjing gave her a sweet smile. The unicorn shrugged, deciding to let it slide.
“Do you know of any place I can stay?” she asked.
“Oh, but you can stay here!” Mei smiled.
“But I should be going out and finding a proper place.”
“But you can stay with us!”
Mystic blinked. “Huh?”
“Yeah!” said Jinjing, walking around the couch to face her. “Look, I know you might not trust us completely, but we can at least keep you until you’re ready.” She frowned. “That is if you want to leave.”
“A-and we can totally help you find a place tomorrow!” said Chen. Mei shot him a glare.
“What he means,” said Jinjing, stepping in front of her siblings,“is that we’re wanting to help you with your needs.”
That sounds wonderful! Finally, some decent ponies! Mystic smiled and let out a pleased sigh.
“Okay,” she said, “I’ll stay here and get back on my hooves.”
“Oh, that sounds fantastic!” Jinjing cheered. “We’re just going to have so much fun!”
“And give you as many cookies and hot chocolate as you can drink!” Mei laughed.
“Don’t forget to wash your hooves before dinner!” added Chen.
“Shut up, Chen!”
“All right,” said Jinjing, stepping over to Mystic, “let’s get you cleaned up.”
The unicorn got up from the couch and caught a glimpse of her reflection. She turned to look into the mirror and saw she was still dirty and bruised.
“Yeah, I agree,” she nodded.
“I’ll get the water started!” said Mei.
Chen stood up and walked off into another room. Mystic tilted her head curiously.
“Don’t worry about him,” said Jinjing. “Sometimes he can have long days.”
“Or just wanting to laze about,” Mystic suggested.
Jinjing giggled. “Or that.”
Soon, Mystic was bathed, scrubbed, and groomed by the two sisters. They were very warm in their remarks and did a great job fixing up her mane, tail, and coat. Afterward, they sat her down on the couch and left to speak with Chen.
After waiting on the siblings for about 20 minutes they came out with some devious smirks on their faces. Huh? However, they were smiling when they were right on her. A trick of the light perhaps.
“Hey, little one,” said Chen, “do you mind if we ask you a favor?”
“Chen!” Mei scolded. “I know she’s just gotten here, but come on!”
“Hey, you told me to ask her!”
Eager to at least do something nice for her caretakers, Mystic spoke up, “What kind of favor?”
“Do you think, if it’s not too much trouble, you could help us out with a job?” Jinjing asked as she turned back to Mystic.
“A job?”
“Just a small job,” said Chen. “It can only be done tonight.”
“It’ll just be a job of gathering supplies like canned food, clothing, and bits,” said Mei.
“What kind of job is this?”
“You see, we’re traders with some ponies in the city,” said Chen. “We give to them and they give to us, so we can know we rely on one another.”
“And we also give to charities to help poor ponies that can’t help themselves,” Jinjing explained.
“Wow!” Mystic marveled. “That sounds interesting!”
“Oh, it is!” Mei smiled. “But we need you for a special job, because this is going to be our biggest one yet!”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you little filly. And it’s not a hard job!” Chen wrapped a foreleg around her. “All you need to do is grab whatever you can from the Resort, bits, goods, anything! We’ll give them their due and take it all to ponies in need!”
“That sounds odd, but it sounds so cool!”
“Yes! Yes! So, are you going to help us out?”
“Oh, yeah! I’m in!”
“Excellent!” Chen pumped a hoof high into the air.
“You wait in the back yard and we’ll get everything ready for the job,” said Mei, “but we need to be quick. Grab your scarf and go.”
“Okay!”
She stood out on the porch gazing at the snow-covered streets. She didn’t shiver anymore, happiness and warmth filled her soul.
The door creaked open and her friends emerged from the house. Jinjing and Mei are wearing all black covering their entire heads (except their eyes) and Chen is wearing a noble suit.
“Why are you dressed up like that?” Mystic asked curiously.
“Oh, it’ll spoil the surprise if we’re revealed to some particular ponies,” said Chen. “We just want to put on a little party to get some ponies excited.”
“Meanwhile, we’ll let you into the shop and we’ll be just outside to get whatever you find,” Mei explained.
“Oh, and you need one of these too!” said Jinjing, bringing up a black tarp just big enough for her. “You don’t want too much attention drawn to yourself, so stay quiet. Or,” she leaned forward with big pleading eyes, “you don’t want the surprise to be ruined, do you?”
Mystic shook her head vigorously and put the tarp over her back and Jinjing tied it on. Later she’d noticed Chen had put some fake sideburns and goatee on. Jinjing gave her a drink to keep her energy up and began to tell her stories as they made their way to a wagon.
It was filled with drinks that looked like alcohol. Mei kept her from looking at it too much, telling her it’s ‘inappropriate for fillies her age’.
The quadrio made their way into a shopping district and there were some snooty unicorns having a party in a building nearby.
“Where is this place we’re going to?” Mystic asked.
“Just beyond the party,” said Chen, “I’ll sell the drinks to these ponies while you three make your way to our destination.”
"Come on, little one," said Jinjing.
Mystic nodded and followed the two mares. She looked over at Chen with his wagon. He stopped on the yard's edge.
“Hey everypony!” Chen cried. This gained the attention of everypony else in the yard. “The drinks are just five bits a glass! Please don’t hesitate to come and get some!”
The unicorns looked at each other, confused. But a few seconds later some went up to check it out. Jinjing nudged Mystic along and the filly turned her attention back to the job at hoof.
“See that building up ahead?” Mei asked. The filly gazed ahead to see a white marble building with statues of the Founder out in front.
“That’s where we’re going?” Mystic asked, slightly taken aback.
“Yes. But we need to move quickly as we have a certain amount of time for our trades.”
Drinks as trade and ponies paying for them? That’s not giving. Mystic shrugged and assumed they’ll be giving them to the poor ponies down the alleyway they passed by.
Without any more doubts, she followed her friends to a hidden side entrance. Jinjing placed something against the door and forced it open.
“Gosh!” she grunted. “I thought I told that pony to leave the door unlocked!”
“You’ll deal with it, won’t you?” Mystic asked.
“Certainly,” said Jinjing, “now get in there.”
She stepped through the door and she was led down a hallway to the back of the building. It seemed further than what she thought traders would be in. A curious look formed on her face.
This is so peculiar, she thought.
At the end of the hall, Jinjing forced another door open and let everypony in. When Mystic saw the inside of the room, she gasped. There were a bunch of valuables in there. There are necklaces, chalices, jewelry, and many other things that looked priceless.
“Whoooooaaaaa.”
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Mei giggled. “But no time to foal around.” She gave the big sack to her. “Start filling that thing to the brim until it’s full!”
“It looks as if we need to make a second trip!” Mystic jumped excitedly.
“We’ll see! Now get to collecting for charities!”
“We’ll be collecting the main portion, our little friend.,” Jinjing smiled.
Mystic nodded vigorously, lit up her horn and began sweeping the valuables in.
“That’s it!” said Mei. “Good filly!”
Mystic saw Jinjing had opened a door down the wall a ways and revealed a safe.
“Oh, my!” Mystic gasped. “This is going to help so many ponies!”
“Get going! Chop! Chop!” Mei ordered.
As Jinjing and Mei began to fool around with the safe Mystic began levitating valuables into the sack. Everything here looked expensive! Are these ponies always trading such valuables away for charity?
How generous!
Mystic hummed little tunes as she took valuables. She began to feel a little off about this whole thing but pushed the thought aside as she continued towards the register, forcefully opened it, pulled out the bits, and placed them into the sack.
A clicking sound pierced through the room. She gazed over to the mares and saw they’d opened the safe. She nearly flipped when she saw an endless supply of bits.
Mystic began working faster to fill the sack. They probably don’t have enough time to gawk around. Scooping things back and forth seemed to take longer than what she’d felt like but before she knew it that sack was filled to the brim with valuables. She smiled brightly and saw Jinjing had been watching her.
“Are you finished?” she asked.
“Hay yeah!” Mystic said happily.
“Shhh!” Jinjing shushed. “Quiet!”
“Sorry!” Mystic meeped.
The mare trotted over to her and opened the sack. Her eyes lit up.
“How did I do?” Mystic asked excitedly.
Jinjing smiled brightly at her. “Perfect, my dear.”
Mystic giggled loudly and Jinjing motioned her to follow.
She skipped down the hallway and out into the lobby.
When she came by a window, something caught her eye. Turning her attention outside, she gasped when she saw something horrifying.
The ponies in the courtyard were unconscious! And Chen wasn’t giving the bits in his sack away!
Her blood turned to ice as her excitement turned to horror. Chen made his way over with his wagon as his sisters lifted the loot up.
“The Luxury Resort’s being robbed!” cried a distant voice.
“Darn it!” cried Jinjing. “We gotta get out of here!”
“Move! Move! Move!” Mei cried as she helped Jinjing load the loot into the wagon.
“Wait! What have we been doing?!” Mystic cried.
They didn’t listen as they shut the wagon. Mystic ran over to them, completely confused and scared.
“Have we just robbed a store?! What about the charities?!”
Jinjing, the one who was the warmest with her, smiled sweetly. “Oh, dearie, it’s been a lot of fun. But we’ve got to go.” She kissed her on the forehead. “I almost liked you. Good luck.”
Mystic’s heart dropped to her stomach as her pupils dilated.
Jinjing took off as Chen pushed the wagon away with great force. His sisters followed.
“Did you get our message across?” Mei asked.
“Hay yeah I did!” Chen laughed.
“Ha! Ha! Another perfect robbery!” She heard Jinjing laugh. “Now to move onto the next target!”
Mystic gawked at the fleeing pegasi. They used me?! There was no charity?!
“We have one in sight!” came a voice.
Her gaze darted around looking for a way out.
“Hey! She’s the one who broke through the wall!” came another.
They knew? Did somepony see me get through?! She whirled around to see several soldiers galloping towards her.
“You there! Halt!” one of them shouted.
She spotted a window and bolted towards it. The unicorn spotted a suitcase close by. She grabbed it and chucked it at the window, shattering it. She leapt out onto the street and heard hoofsteps close by.
“Get her!” she heard.
The unicorn turned to the right and came face to face with the city’s marketplace.! She swerved around ponies, jumped over some boxes, and accidentally knocked over a barrel of pickles.
She didn’t bother looking back. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have trusted those ponies?
“Over here!” came another voice.
She swerved to the right and avoided several stallions. Mystic spotted more soldiers heading her way.
Is the entire army looking for me?! she thought.
Her legs picked up speed. The unicorn bolted into an alleyway as she heard the sounds of hooves right behind her!
“Leave me alone!” Mystic cried. “I’m just lost and hungry!” A lie but it was true before.
She gasped when she saw she was heading towards a dead end. Screeching to a stop, she began looking for a way out only for a chain to wrap around her body and pull her to the ground.
“Aa! No!” she cried.
“Got her!” a soldier shouted.
“No! Please!!” Mystic wailed as she shook the chains.
“Detain her!”
Another chain wrapped around her body as she felt something placed on her horn. She felt her inner magic being dampened.
What did they do to me?! Mystic thought.
She squirmed against the chains as a tall unicorn silhouette emerged from behind the soldiers.
“Is this their accomplice?” he asked, his cold blue eyes staring into her soul.
“Yes,” said a soldier, “she’s been seen around the city and has stolen food, clothes, and helped the Triple Trio.”
“I see,” the pony said. He glared at Mystic and bared his teeth.
“Filly, you’re in a true heap of trouble,” he said.
Mystic gulped her entire heart down her throat.
Hey everypony! You obviously noticed the time jump into the present! I was inspired by the show Breaking Bad to give you glimpses of the future and let it have its own small stories until we're full circle with both past and future. Breaking Bad did some of that and I thought I'd give it a shot.
So keep in mind the present whenever it shows up. 
The next chapter is definitely longer than this one so I want to be sure it's done right so it might be a little bit before it's uploaded. Anywho, please review if you want! 
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Quote Undertale :) (don't reply cuz I just started reading)
Gotta have that fire
.
That's what happens when you stop practicing something
.
Try smiling! You're never fully dressed without one
.
Ah, the cons of working all by yourself
.
Looks like you gotta take the risk
.
Desperate times call for desperate measures
.
Well you never know... gotta do something about that memory loss
.
And probably something worse
.
CRAP
!!!
No way those guys are gonna listen... just from their descriptions, they are not gonna play nice
.
Oi, how DARE you hit a defenseless child
?!
Oooooooooooh... no...
.
Play it smart Mystic, play it smart
!!!
Keep stalling them...
.
At least don't kill her or... something else just as bad
.
Oh, shit
.
Just what kind of Fun
?
RUN
!!!
Dammit, she wasn't fast enough
!
Run and don't you dare look back
!
Ouch
.
Still gotta get that belly full
.
Please don't listen to them
.
You're all alone for now...
.
Atta girl
!
She's getting fired up
!
Just keep going forward
.
No lock
.
Aaaaaaand it's all gone to shit
.
Wait... protocols
?
Spoke too soon
.
Don't wanna die from the cold
.
Finally, something small yet very needed
.
Oh god... slave market
.
Keep it together
.
Uh-oh
.
I smell a rat
.
True but...
.
Long story
.
How much room exactly
.
Again, I smell a really foul rat
.
Finally, something to eat
!
I wonder why...
.
Let's wash all that grime away
.
Don't say it yet... the less they know, the better
.
Playing it well so far
.
Okay...
?
Hmmm...
.
Yeah... decent for now
.
Don't we all have long days
.
A job hm
?
Yeah... ponies in need
.
Oh so not okay
.
Well.. surprises are tough... especially when it comes to birthdays
.
Let's just hope they don't spill them in her face
.
She's starting to catch on...
.
It is, is it not
?
This is going to go so badly
.
Generous my ass
.
This happy moment will not last for long
.
You got tricked
.
Yep, it was a robbery... not surprising
.
Dammit, she was spotted
!
You can really only depend on yourself here
.
After one little filly? What a place this is
!
Too late...
.
Well... she's dead
.
Cars Movie Reference
?